Peter Dutton (Dickson, Liberal Party, Minister for Health) Share this | Hansard source

The debate has clearly shown that we all recognise it is essential that Australia is committed through action to protect clean athletes and the integrity of sport, through internationally harmonised anti-doping principles. In other words, we want our athletes to be protected by the same anti-doping rules as the rest of the world. We want our athletes to compete with integrity on a level playing field, and we are committed to uphold those principles ourselves. The objective of this bill is to adjust Australia's anti-doping arrangements so they align with the revised World Anti-Doping Code due to come into force on 1 January 2015. The revisions to the code were developed through an extensive two-year consultation process involving all stakeholders, including athletes, sports administrators, anti-doping officials and governments. This process provided a comprehensive review of the current arrangements and a broad consensus on how to best deal with the future threats that doping poses. Stakeholders in Australia and internationally are already moving to align their antidoping arrangements with the revised code. International sporting federations are expecting their national sporting organisations to have code-compliant, antidoping policies in place by 1 January 2015.

If these amendments are not passed, Australia's antidoping legislation will to varying degrees fall out of step with the antidoping arrangements under which our national sporting organisations operate. For example, our sporting organisations would simultaneously face differing antidoping requirements between their international federation counterpart and ASADA, including differing violations, sanctions and athlete-reporting requirements.

The changes to the code will allow the international antidoping community to deliver an enhanced effort to prevent, detect and penalise doping in sport. They target the more serious doping practices, place larger and greater scrutiny on athlete support persons involved in doping, recognise the growing importance of investigations in the detection of doping and facilitate smarter targeting and testing regimes. At the same time, the changes are designed to promote the rights of athletes and ensure adherence to procedural fairness in doping matters. The proposed amendments embody those principles.

It is also appropriate to make additional administrative changes at this time. With investigations and intelligence gathering now forming an integral element of any strategy for detecting doping, ASADA's capacity to undertake these activities in partnership with key stakeholders is embraced by proposed amendments to the management of information. However, these amendments include appropriate protections. Another example is the streamlining of the independent antidoping-rule violation panel process, ensuring that it is clear that findings are and will continue to be made by sporting tribunals.

The struggle to rid sport of doping and ensure our athletes compete on a level playing field requires a coordinated, consistent and harmonised global effort. This bill ensures Australia is fulfilling its role as part of that global effort to protect the rights and wellbeing of clean athletes whilst improving the ability to detect and sanction international doping cheats. I commend the bill to the House.

Question agreed to.

Bill read a second time.

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